Vintage duo a ‘surf and turf’ combo

David Flores Coffey’s love of vintage motoring doesn’t stop on land. This is his beautifully restored 1953 Ford and his matching 1952 Arkansas Traveler aluminum boat.

Coffey is a member of the Antique Outboard Motor Club of Houston and the Demons Car Club.

His Ford was a restoration project that started 30 years ago. Both the Ford and Coffey entered the world just about the same time, with Coffey being born the very week the car rolled off the assembly line. His grandfather bought one new in 1953.

David Flores Coffey was born the same year (1953) as the restored Ford that pulls his 1952 Arkansas Traveler aluminum boat. Coffey is a member of the Antique Outboard Motor Club of Houston and the Demons Car Club.(David Coffey)

The car has been updated several times over the years.

“Used to be a led sled and ran 4 inches lower to the ground ’til we rebuilt the suspension,” Coffey said.

It has a 1979 Monte Carlo front clip with an early 1960s Ford 302 engine and was converted from six to 12 volt, along with modern gauges and a tilt column that were installed. It has a vintage air conversion, a high-end modern sound system and has been shaved, smoothed and had the lights recessed. As the “only shiny member” of the Demons Car Club, this stunning classic stands out.

“The car runs live lake pipes and is definitely not a trailer queen,” he said.

The ’52 Arkansas boat he pulls behind it has a 1959 Mercury Mark 55 Outboard Motor. Having been salvaged from the scrapyard with a camouflage paint job and a wooden duck blind atop it, the start of a six-year restoration began.

They first stripped and sand blasted the boat down to bare metal before welding and repairing holes, then primer coated it with military-grade resin and then coated it with automotive paint.

“The outboard motor has been restored by a Master Mercury mechanic. The motor is electric start with rare flip-up running light built into the motor,” Coffey said.

They opted for synthetic wood decking, reworked the bottom of the boat, and installed a jack plate and bulge pumps. They used a steering unit from a late model boat, old stock controls and a modern tachometer with hidden switches, as well as installed new seats with a vintage design.

(David Coffey)

The only “trailer queen” of the two is the 1952 Arkansas boat. The outboard motor is a 1959 Mercury Mark 55, which was restored by a Master Mercury mechanic. It has an electric start with a rare flip-up running light built into the motor. (David Coffey)

(David Coffey)

Coffey loves to share his wrenching ways with his youngest son, and together they built these two classics and brought back their original beauty.

He said, “This is a true father and son project of two technologies.”

The Coffey men love to take this vintage duo out to shows, including being on display recently at the Keels and Wheels show in Seabrook.

David Coffey shares his wrenching ways with his youngest son, and together they built the two classics and brought back them back to their original beauty. The Coffey men love to take this vintage duo out to shows, including being seen on display recently at the Keels and Wheels show in Seabrook. (David Coffey)

Coffey also owns a 1952 MGTD Roadster with a Ford V6 he calls a “four-wheel motorcycle for (all) practical purposes.”

“If you want a trailer-queen car built by a custom shop this is not it.

“On the other hand, the car and the boat make up in attitude what they may lack in perfection of restoration,” Coffey said.